• Swindon & Wiltshire Community champions
• Thursday April 27 2023
• Author Name: Peter Davison

The Hills Group and Cotswold Lakes Trust celebrate 25-year partnership

Aggregates firm The Hills Group is celebrating a 25-year relationship with conservation organisation Cotswold Lakes Trust.

The trust is dedicated to caring for the wildlife and environment in the Cotswold Water Park, which was created by decades of gravel extraction on the Wiltshire / Gloucestershire border.

Extending to 42 square miles the Cotswold Water Park – which has 180 lakes, most of which are privately owned – has over ten times more lakes than the Lake District, and provides an amenity for leisure activities like sailing, angling, and walking as well as creating a valuable haven for wildlife.

The partnership has helped protect kingfishers, otters, water voles and many more species in the Cotswold Water Park.

Peter Andrew, group director at Swindon-based Hills Quarry Products, said: ”The Hills Group has been operating in the Cotswold Water Park for more than 100 years and has created many of the lakes and wonderful habitats you see today.

“We are proud to support Cotswold Lakes Trust and all they do for wildlife and the environment. They’re a great charity and we work extremely well together.”

The lakes are home to an amazing variety of wildlife and a host of leisure activities for its 20,000 residents and one million annual visitors. In 2021, it was recognised nationally as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Cotswold Lakes Trust’s executive chairman Paul Hazel praised Hills for the pivotal role the company has played in creating the Cotswold Water Park since its first gravel pit was dug a century ago.

“Their long-term commitment to restoration has played a fundamental role in creating this fantastic leisure area and a haven for wildlife,” he said.

“Their generosity in providing more than £1.3 million through the Landfill Communities Fund has enabled the Trust to help preserve the amazing biodiversity of habitats and species in the Cotswold Water Park and to carry out projects ranging from the creation of nature reserves to improving public access and managing country parks.”

Based in Down Ampney, Cotswold Lakes Trust is governed by a voluntary board of trustees who oversee the work of a team of seven staff, assisted by volunteers. It receives no core funding from central or local government and relies heavily on donations.

Pictured: Paul Hazel (left) and Matthew Millett from Cotswold Lakes Trust with Peter Andrew from the Hills Group (centre) at Cotswold Country Park & Beach in the Cotswold Water Park

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